June 29, 2009

It dates from the fourth century, was discovered during restoration work at the Catacomb of Saint Thekla, close to the Basilica of St Paul, in Rome, and depicts a man with sharp features, large dark eyes, a receding hairline and a long pointed beard set in a red circle which is set in a yellow circle – a man who, so it’s claimed, was the Christian apostle Paul!

Barbara Mazzei, the director of the work at the Catacomb, said:

“We had been working in the Catacomb for some time and it is full of frescoes.

“However the pictures are all covered with limestone which was covering up much of the artwork and so to remove it and clean it up we had to use fine lasers.

“The result was exceptional because from underneath all the dirt and grime we saw for the first time in 1600 years the face of Saint Paul in a very good condition.

“It was easy to see that it was Saint Paul because the style matched the iconography that we know existed at around the 4th Century – that is the thin face and the dark beard.

“It is a sensational discovery and is of tremendous significance. This is then first time that a single image of Saint Paul in such good condition has been found and it is the oldest one known of.

“Traditionally in Christian images of St Paul he is always alongside St Peter but in this icon he was on his own and what is also significant is the fact that St Paul’s Basilica is just a few minutes walk away.

“It is my opinion that the fresco we have discovered was based on the fact that St Paul’s Basilica was close by, there was a shrine to him there at that site since the 3rd Century.

“This fresco is from the early part of the 4th Century while before the earliest were from the later part and examples have been found in the Catacombs of Domitilla.”

June 29, 2009

Well, not only is H1 N1 Swine flu a “man made” strain of the virus, it’s now been linked to…wait for this…FRENCH FRIES!

It’s true!

“Scientists from Russia’s Ministry of Health are warning in a secret report to Prime Minister Putin that they have discovered a ‘critical link’ between the H1N1 influenza (Swine Flu) virus and genetically modified amylopectin potatoes that are consumed in massive quantities nearly exclusively by Westerners and sold in fast food restaurants as French Fries.”